Acupuncture and Herbal Treatment for Knee Pain and Trauma

History: ACL tear due to a soccer injury years prior. Surgery transplanted a donor ligament.

Symptoms: Pain due to over use.

Palpation: Rolling Pulse, Palpation of the knee presents tough scar tissue and a sensation of heat

Observation: Tongue body is red with a thin white coat

OM Diagnosis: Pain due to qi and blood stagnation

Treatment Principle: Move Qi and Blood

Point Prescription: St. 36, GB 34, GB 33, SP. 9, Liv. 8, Xiyan

I also did elbow ashi points

Herb Prescription: Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang

Lifestyle Prescription: I advised this patient to be more mindful of her injury and protect it during exercise. She is an avid runner, yogi, and soccer player. I advised her to do daily stretches and exercises to keep her ligaments supple and ready for movement. Her pain seems to be stress related so I gave her tips on stress reduction as well.

Results: She felt no pain after the treatment for two weeks. She returned because she felt so much relief she over worked her knee again.

Synopsis: After a few sessions with this patient she began to understand that it was going to take patience on her behalf, and time to allow her body to recover.